Buckingham Palace has said King Charles' upcoming Caribbean tour will not shy away from the "darkest days of our past," but any apology or reparations for slavery will be a matter for the government.
Charles will visit The Bahamas and Guyana later this month, as well as Antigua and Barbuda early next month for the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm). As the Mirror revealed earlier this week, activists in the Bahamas have told the King "don't come empty handed" and warned he must confront the enduring legacy of slavery and British colonial rule by apologising for it.
Now, more details about the upcoming Caribbean tour have been released by the Palace, and it appears he will stop short once again of apologising.
Palace statement on colonial legacy
While campaigners calling for reparations are to be further disappointed as the UK government maintains its position on not paying them, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said there were "important discussions" taking place about colonial legacy and slavery but said they were "primarily matters for Governments to address."
However, they added: "The visit programme will therefore not shy away from 'the darkest days of our past', as His Majesty has described them, but - in keeping with the wishes of our host nations - it will principally be oriented to the vibrant present and promising future of each country, with visit programmes developed in close consultation with their governments to reflect their individual priorities."
"That said, it is important to note here the work His Majesty himself has done over many years both to acknowledge the wrongs of the past and to find creative ways to 'right inequalities that endure'."
"As you would therefore expect, opportunities will be found during the visit to reflect and renew his personal, wholehearted, and continuing commitment to that process."
Government position on reparations
A spokesperson from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office reiterated the UK government's position it will not pay financial reparations for slavery. They added: "The government's position on reparations is well established. The government absolutely acknowledges that the transatlantic trade in enslaved people was abhorrent, and that the impacts of that were horrific and do endure to today."
While a Palace spokesman said: "His Majesty, of course, always acts on the advice of his government as part of our constitutional settlement. He has a long history of engaging on this particular issue and all of the things that he has said at CHOGM and elsewhere in the past, about his personal sorrow, about this particular period of our history, are worth repeating."
"And it's not just about what His Majesty has said, it's about what he's done: the personal support for Commonwealth education programmes since the last Chogm, and his support, over many decades, for young people through The King's Trust. This shows that he has always engaged on ways in which the inequalities of the past can be righted. But as far as reparations and apologies go, that is a matter for the government. And His Majesty always acts on his government's advice."
Tour itinerary and past acknowledgements
At the last Chogm in Samoa, the King acknowledged the past "continues to resonate" but exhorted leaders to find "the right language" rather than committing to an apology or reparations. He has also previously called slavery an "atrocity" which "forever stains our history" on a trip to Barbados in 2021. Meanwhile, last month, the King referred a landmark slavery reparations petition from Jamaica to the Privy Council for legal advice.
His Caribbean tour will kick off in the Bahamas on October 27 on a solo visit, where he will spend two days, during which engagements will include visiting a youth rally with young Bahamians in the country's Clifford Park. Other highlights on the island nation will include him watching the traditional Junkanoo parade, which is the national cultural festival of The Bahamas.
He will then spend two days on a solo visit to Guyana at the request of the Government, where among his engagements, he will lay wreaths commemorating the shared loss and sacrifice of British, Guyanese and Commonwealth forces at the Georgetown (Rabbit Walk) Memorial.
In Antigua and Barbuda, he will be joined by Queen Camilla, where they will attend the country's annual 45th independence day celebrations on November 1 with a parade at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. The King will address Chogm 2026 taking place in the country.
Monarchy's role in slave trade and Jamaica petition
The monarchy's historic involvement in slavery spans several centuries, through financial investment and backing of the slave trade, dating back to the 15th Century. In 1562, John Hawkins was the first known English person to include enslaved Africans in his cargo, a journey that was approved by Elizabeth I.
In 1660, the Royal African Company was established by the Duke of York, who later became James II, with involvement from his brother, Charles II. The Royal African Company was prolific within the slave trade; according to the Slave Voyages website, between 1672 and 1731 the Royal African Company transported more than 187,000 slaves from Africa to English colonies in North, Central and South America.
Jamaica - which has in the past few years voiced its desire to ditch its association with the Crown - activated a rarely used mechanism last month in the Judicial Committee Act 1833, which allows the King to refer questions of "legal or constitutional nature" to the Privy Council when they cannot be resolved through ordinary courts, according to the country's legal counsel.
The petition seeks guidance on three questions: whether the forced transport of Africans to Jamaica was lawful; whether it constituted a crime against humanity; and whether Britain is under an obligation to provide restitution for slavery and its enduring consequences. A Privy Council opinion would not compel the UK government to pay reparations, but Jamaican officials believe it could shape negotiations and legal options and set a precedent for other Commonwealth nations seeking reparations.
